


Meet me in the woods

by daquitaine



Category: Naruto
Genre: A Lot of Plot, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Found Family, Light Angst, M/M, POV Multiple, Plot, Politics, Slow Burn, Uchiha Itachi Needs a Hug, basically only plot at this point, canon type powers?, this is kinda ambitious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29331042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daquitaine/pseuds/daquitaine
Summary: After the fall of the Empire of Fire, the refugees came flooding into Konohagakure. Abandoned by his family, Naruto lives in the orphanage at the edge of the designated compound, while Sasuke wanders the palace in search of his brother.Years later, and with the overthrow of the Uchiha Monarchy, Naruto sits in a facility that will turn him into a mindless soldier, while Sasuke does the bidding of the new Lord of the state, Orochimaru, who he had seen slaughter his entire family.**** Fantasy AU
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is kind of a more serious story than 'Worth My While', but I was in the mood to write some fantasy so here it is -
> 
> To clarify: The Empire of Fire and Konohagakure are two separate countries. The Empire of Fire was ruled by the Senju (more will be revealed about them later on) and Konohagakure was ruled by the Uchiha Monarchy. This is a fantasy world and the powers are similar to canon, but some things are a little different. The geography of the world is *slightly* similar, but for the most it's different. I might make a map at some point to clear things up. The plot of the story is also loosely inspired by canon.
> 
> Romance isn't the focus of this story, but there will be some in the later chapters.

**PART I - A little journey to the unknown**

Sasuke tapped his fingernails on the stone of the palace floor, searching for a patch that will sound a little more hollow than the rest. His small fingers bounced off the hard stone as he searched, mind laser-focused on the sound of dense rock emanating a low and solid bass. 

He had seen his older brother come into the room just one hour before, but when Sasuke slipped in through the heavy chamber doors, all he saw was the empty hall. _Itachi must have gone somewhere_ , he thought as he continued to tap along the edges of the floor. He had searched all the walls, hands smoothing over the edges of the windowless room. He had lifted the tapestries and looked behind bookcases to no avail. Now, he crawled across the floor in the hope to find some kind of secret passageway his brother could have snuck out of. 

Itachi had become distant the past few months, somehow slipping away from the castle after their silent family dinners. A year ago, Itachi would have grabbed Sasuke’s hand and guided him through the shadows of the hallways to sneak out to the pinewood forest. The night would cloak them as Sasuke watched his older brother train, guiding his body to mirror every little movement of Itachi’s technique. Chest shifted low to balance the high kick of the right leg. Fingers bending uncomfortably to form the hand signs that coded their power. Itachi would create little drills that he passed off as games, hiding in the nooks of trees as he used his newly awakened Sharingan to sense out the little boy. 

A half-hearted scolding from their mother. A reprimand from their father. Bruises on Itachi’s forearms. 

But now, Sasuke crawled alone in the company of the flickering candlelight, searching for where his brother had gone. Without him. The silence of the dinners were only amplified by the clinking of silver cutlery on porcelain, made more painful by his mother’s polite ‘ _what did you learn at the academy today? Sasuke’_ , more exhausting by Fugaku’s cold stare on Itachi’s bowed head. 

Sasuke tapped the last inch of floor, face crumbling as he realised he would never find where Itachi had disappeared to. He slumped against the wall, his knees frozen stiff from dragging them across the cold stone. Sasuke tried to remember the last time his brother had taken him out to explore the city or had sat at his bedside to read him one of the ancient texts he had snuck out of the library. In all of his memories, Itachi’s face reflected in his mind, accompanying him with an outstretched hand. 

Now, He hadn’t been into the forest in months. At first, he put it up to Itachi’s new duties with the Anbu forces, his prodigy brother becoming the youngest person to ever lead a full battalion. But Sasuke had heard whispers from passing soldiers and gossiping maids - 

_Commander Uchiha looked exhausted at the council today_

_His bedsheets lay untouched every morning I go to rearrange his room_

_Do you think he has a mistress?_

_Perhaps?_

Sasuke’s mind wandered at the idea of his brother sneaking out and abandoning him for some girl. Jealousy for this faceless person coursed through his veins. At this girl who thought that she could steal his brother away from him. But surely Itachi would have told him, or he would have said something other than ‘ _maybe next time Sasuke’._

His head snapped up as he heard the opening of the large oak door, the heavy wood gliding along the hinges to close shut with an inconspicuous _click_. He heard two sets of footsteps whispering as they walked in. Sasuke folded his little body and pushed himself up against the wall as far as he could, attempting to look invisible in the shadows of the bookcase.

“Snuff out the candle,” was all Sasuke heard before the room fell into darkness.

“What’s your report, soldier?” Sasuke’s eyes snapped open at the familiar sound of his uncle’s voice.

“Your nephew Itachi Uchiha had been sneaking along the Jinchuriki wall at 4 am yesterday, sir.”

The voice sounded young and familiar, but Sasuke couldn’t quite place it.

A loud crash of a fist coming down on a hardwood desk, “What does that boy think he’s doing?”

“I am unsure, sir. Do you wish for us to keep monitoring him?” 

“Yes, continue. But I don’t want knowledge of this to get out to the rest of the clan, you hear me?” 

“Of course sir,” Sasuke heard footsteps nearing the door, but they abruptly stopped.

“Shisui, do you have any idea what Itachi is up to?”

“No father, I do not.” 

Sasuke heard the heavy shift of the door shutting, and he looked around the corner to see his uncle standing in the middle of the room, head bowed to the floor.

_Fucking foolish,_ thought Sasuke as he dismounted his horse, the memory stinging an unpleasant place in the back of his mind. Riding through the forest always did this to him, the smell of pinewood unlocking the memories he tried to bury deep in the cages of his mind. He slid the reins around the horse’s neck and guided the black stallion to the stable boy, handing over the reins as the boy nodded politely, not meeting his eyes. 

Sasuke walked down the cobblestone pathway to one of the back entrances to the castles, taking five short breaths followed by five long ones to calm himself, trying not to think about how the boy had scurried away from him as fast as he could. 

He took off his mask and entered through the maid's quarters and walked to the kitchens, opening the door to find Mabui rinsing off plates. He greeted her as she turned away from her work to give him a soft smile.

“How was your ride Sasuke?” 

“Good, thank you Mabui.”

She nodded and carried on with her work, and Sasuke let out a sigh as he walked to the grand hall. Two years ago, Mabui would have scolded him for dragging mud into the palace. She might have given him a stern lecture for leaving without a coat, or for not finishing the scones she had prepared. Now, Sasuke walked past her, they gave each other polite greetings, but Mabui avoided meeting his eyes.

Sasuke opened the large doors of the grand hall with a push of his chakra. He walked in, eyeing the floor to see if any new blood had been spilled today. Not seeing any stains on the white marble, he looked up to meet the weighted stare of the man sitting on the throne in front of him, Sasuke spoke with a heavy tone, “Lord Orochimaru.”

Orochimaru sat in front with a large grin on his face, tongue flickering out to lick his lips. In his right hand he held up a wine glass, and he took a sip before he spoke, “Hello my boy.”

Sasuke clenched his fists as he walked closer to the man, “You summoned me.”

“Ah yes, I have a mission for you Sasuke,” Orochimaru set the wine glass down on the armchair of the throne, his father’s throne. “I have been hearing some whispers in the Senju quarter of the city, I wish for you to find out the happenings.”

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. The Senju quarter was tucked away at the corner of the city. After the fall of the Empire of Fire, his father had sectioned a generous portion of their land for the refugees to set up their homes. They had named themselves ‘the Senju Quarter’, in honour of their late Emperor. When Orochimaru came into power, he had used the secluded corner to set up one of the training facilities. He had killed all of the adults in the city, deeming them useless and unlikely to ever become loyal to him, and used the area to build large barracks, where most of the city's teenagers were now housed and trained. The new rule was that training for the army was compulsory for fifteen to eighteen-year-olds. Before it had been eight to eighteen, but Orochimaru relaxed the rule two years ago. “What is the plan then?”

Orochimaru smiled at him, “Since the children in the compound don’t have much access to the rest of the city, we don’t have to worry about any of them being familiar with you. You will go in there as a regular student.”

“How do I explain the fact that I am seventeen instead of fifteen?”

“You have, of course, been transferred from another compound which had been overflowing from the other side of the city.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, “And you’re sure this will work? How will I get information to you?”

“Students at compounds are allowed to send letters to parents Sasuke, parents just can’t write back.”

Sasuke glared at Orochimaru, “Can’t you send another one of your henchmen to carry out such a menial task?”

Orochimaru examined his nails and looked down at Sasuke, “I could… but I have decided to be kind to you. When was the last time you have interacted with anyone your age, my boy? Have you even had your first kiss? I’m sure we could have it arranged...”

Sasuke felt his chakra boil through their pathways, “What is your point Orochimaru?”

The man _tsked_ , “My point is, you’re my only _loyal_ subordinate between the ages of fifteen and eighteen.” 

Sasuke felt both rage and satisfaction at the fact that Orochimaru trusted him so much. Rage that he had to stoop so low, that he had to look him in the eyes and follow out orders from the man who had killed all of his kin in one fell swoop. The small spark of satisfaction only came from knowing that Sasuke would be his downfall, and that spark was enough to stop his anger from seeping out. Sasuke plastered a bored look on his face. “When will I head out?”

“Tomorrow at 8 am, go pack your bags, a van will pick you up from the third apartment building on 58th avenue to avoid suspicion. You will be placed in a room with the group that has been causing trouble. I want you to report back to me every week,” Orochimaru paused and gave Sasuke a smile, “no need to bring your mask.”

Sasuke nodded and walked out, preparing himself for the task ahead. These children had probably plotted some half-assed plan, imagining themselves as revolutionaries as they did basic drills in the mornings. Sasuke didn’t feel any sort of need to fit into groups, he would gain their trust, find out what they were planning, report it to Orochimaru, then leave. He had his own plans and didn’t need shielded children to mess with them, but first, he needed to find permission to seek out his brother. 

… 

Naruto remembered the streets of the night of the falling. The streets were the only thing that had laid still, as the world came crashing down around everyone. He was seven and gripping his pillow, as the streets lay dead still and the blood flowed. It came down like honey, too thick to flow like water, but liquid enough to pour down the downsloping street to their compound. He saw men and women with long swords strike down all of the Konohagakure soldiers and Senju civilians, smooth long strikes as the men fell one by one. The orphanage he had lived in for his whole life sat at the entrance of the compound, the hope was that the people who lived there would see the children when they came in, and hopefully adopt one. Naruto had seen many of his friends walk away, hand in hand with smiling couples who had been charmed by their good behaviour. Naruto had no such luck. He was loud, boisterous, and never followed orders. The people under the Uchiha were order followers, and Naruto was an outsider. At twelve years old, he was one of the oldest at the orphanage. And since he was the elder, he climbed down from his top bunker and stood at the window. 

“Get behind me all of you! I will protect you,” he ordered all the little ones in the room with him, his voice cracking with fear and uncertainty. He took out the little swiss army knife which he had hidden under his mattress and gripped it hard in his right hand. He tried not to let his fear show as the scary murderers slowly made their way to the compound, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints in their wake. Naruto took one last look out the window at the countless fallen bodies before turning at the sound of footsteps nearing their room. The rest of the children huddled together at the corner of the room, while Naruto gripped his swiss army knife with both hands and pointed it at the bedroom door. The thin wood slammed against the wall as the door came crashing open. Naruto made his feat plant firm on the ground as he saw a head peek around the doorway. The man at first seemed normal, a large purple rope tied around his waist. But as he walked into the room, another head turned towards him. Naruto could feel his eyes widen as the two-headed man came creeping towards him, the blood that had splattered all over his body made him all the more frightening to look at. 

“Awe isn’t this cute, brother? This little boy is protecting the rest of these children, how brave,” he slowly walked his way towards Naruto who stepped back to shield the younger kids. 

“Stay back!” He screamed in a high and scratchy voice.

The man in front of him laughed from both of his heads, before plucking the little knife right out of Naruto’s grasp.

“Don’t worry kid, we aren’t going to hurt you. In fact…” black dots appeared all over the man's face, as the head that was once behind his neck moved down with the sound of tearing ligaments. Two heads now faced Naruto, both slowly turning a shade of red. The man grinned as both of his heads eyed the sweat that now poured out of Naruto’s pores. He looked around panicked, searching for some sort of weapon or escape, the blood now pounding in his ears. The two-headed monster now looked him dead in the eye, horns growing from the sides of his forehead, “you will be following us to your new home.”

Naruto sat up in bed with a gasp and almost hit his head on the ceiling, sweat now drenched his thin bedsheets. He looked around to gather his surroundings, but realising he was in his room, he relaxed back down to his bed. 

“Naruto, was that you? Are you alright?” He heard a voice say, rough with sleep. _Shikamaru_. Naruto ran his hands through his hair. He wasn’t at the orphanage. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine,” spoke out another voice from the bunk under him. _Neji_. Naruto lifted the sheets off his legs. He wasn’t some helpless child anymore. 

“Nightmares?” said another voice to his right. _Kiba_. Naruto sighed and relaxed in his bed. He had friends now, and he was strong. 

“Yeah, same old same old,” he said before the blast of a loud horn. 

He saw Shino groan before using the pillow to cover his face, “Is it six AM already?”

“Yes! It is time to seize the day and conquer all hardships we come to pass gentlemen!” chirped a voice from the corner of the room before launching himself off the only single bed to land on the cold floor. All of them had unanimously agreed that Lee should have the only single bed, as he would sometimes start randomly kicking in the middle of the night. 

Naruto made the slow climb down the ladder and looked at Neji’s tired face, “Rise and shine sweetheart!” he said before getting a pillow thrown at him. 

Shikamaru stood up to give Chouji’s sleeping form a slap across the head, the only person daring to touch the man before he had gotten his morning breakfast. Chouji reluctantly climbed out of bed. 

The boys started to get ready for the day, stripping away their clothes to slip on their casual summer uniform for their morning drills. Either a white or black cotton shirt with dark blue pants, which tilted towards grey. On both articles of clothing, displayed the small symbol of Lord Orochimaru’s reign, three dots with small sharp protrusions to their right, as if they were encircling each other. 

The seven boys left the room single file, Kiba holding the door for all of them. They didn’t say a word until they reached the breakfast hall, and sat at their appointed seating. They all sat silent, around 800 teenagers filling the tables of _Hall 1_ , silently taking their seats. Naruto stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows to the central training area, trying to see which formation the cones were set out in. When the shuffling stopped and all of them were seated, the large side door opened and a tall lady walked in. 

She strode briskly and stood at the center of the large hall, her voice boomed against the walls, “Good morning everyone, for squads 7 to 13, please meet at the center field for stamina checks. Squads 1 to 6 will be doing weight check-ups in courtyard 4. The rest of you will continue as usual,” she said before looking around to the silent group, and said “at ease,” before walking out. 

As soon as she had left, the room erupted in boisterous conversations. Each table one by one stood up to serve themselves food from the buffet which had been laid out at the front. As their table went to get themselves their breakfast, Kiba grabbed Naruto’s arm.

“Dude this is my chance! Watch your back I’m coming for your record.”

Naruto scoffed, “In your fucking dreams Inuzuka.”

“No Kiba! Today is my opportunity to best one of my truest companions in the race of our lifetimes!”

“It’s not a race Lee, it’s a stamina check,” Neji rolled his eyes while piling eggs onto his plate.

They all bickered about who would take the leading spot at today’s checkpoint, Shikamaru completely blocking out the conversation in favour of half-sleeping while he ate. Naruto looked at him nervously, contemplating whether he should try to wake his friend up. The coaches could arrive at any minute now. Shikamaru's head was about to fall and hit the table as his body drew closer and closer to sleep when a hard hand came from behind and slapped him across the face. He fell off his seat and stared up into glassed-over eyes. 

“Nara, what do you think you’re doing?” said Atsuma, anger flaring in his voice.

Shikamaru scrambled to his feet, “Sorry sir.”

“You will be doing extra drills tonight for your indolence, I want you to log them into the office and state _why_ you were given the punishment.” 

Shikamaru’s face became steely as he tried to calculate the consequences, the rest of the table remained silent. “Yes sir.” 

Atsuma walked away without giving him a second glance, Shikamaru stared at Atsuma’s leaving form before sitting back down in his seat. 

Naruto frowned at Shikamaru, “You okay?” 

Shikamaru brushed off the question and gently tapped his cheek, “This will bruise like a mother fucker.”

Kiba rubbed his friend’s shoulder, “Are you alright with going to the office?”

Shikamaru tensed but only said, “Don’t really have a choice, I’ll deal with it.” 

They all ate their breakfast in silence after that. 

…

“Get your asses moving!” shouted Coach Kurenai from the sidelines of the large field.

Naruto jogged his twentieth lap, sweat from the blistering sun pouring down his face. They had to run each 400-meter lap in less than a minute and thirty seconds, and Naruto felt exhausted. However, the stamina check was one of his strong suits, and he wasn’t going to let any of his friends beat his record. This was partly due to the fact that he was very competitive, but mostly, it was because there were always consequences if the coaches thought you were slacking. _Not reaching your potential_ they would say. He continued to run even as the pain in his thighs started to become unbearable, he was only three laps away from his last checkpoint. The night of restless dreaming had caught up on him though, and his breathing became desperate as he forced his body to continue pushing forward. 

Dread started to course through him as he looked down at his watch to see a minute had already passed, and he was only halfway to finishing the lap. _I didn’t get a good night's sleep_ , he would explain. But all of his reasons and excuses will bounce off the hollow skulls of all their coaches. He would get matching bruises with Shikamaru and they could head to the heart of the beast together later that day. 

He thought of white marble flooring and windowless rooms. Flickering lights and the breeze from air conditioners put on ‘swing’. Naruto thought of red skin, shifting heads, the sound of tearing tendons, and purple rope. The unmasked fear coursed through his veins, and his body gained a new force. He felt the fear drive him as it accumulated at the base of his spine. He pushed off his foot against the grass as he sped ahead, a new power surging through him, and he finished both of his laps in time. 

At the end of his last lap (one more than his last record), he slowly jogged to a stop. He waited for the rush of exhaustion to catch up to him, the feel of acid building up in his lungs when he was confused to feel his pulse settle at a normal rate. He stopped dead in his tracks and wiped his hand across his forehead to find a normal amount of sweat. Not the crazy waterworks he would usually find at the end of a checkpoint. 

Naruto looked up from his hands to meet Shikamaru’s dead stare, as all of his friends looked at him confused. Shikamaru abruptly turned to Kurenai, bringing her attention into a conversation about how he could improve his speed for next time. Naruto was going to say something when Neji came up behind him, putting an arm around his shoulder. 

“Great job Naruto! You must be exhausted from those last two laps!” Neji said loudly through clenched teeth as he used his other hand to pat Naruto’s head.

“What the fuck Neji-”

In response to Naruto’s quizzical look, Neji’s mouth came close to his ear to whisper, “Care to explain why you are glowing orange?”

Kiba, who had finished his laps before Naruto, came behind him and wrapped an arm around his other shoulder, “Dude you are fast as shit! I swear to god I’ll beat your stupid record one day,” he half-shouted before patting him on the back. Kiba made sure his face was hidden from the coaches, “The fuck Naruto, you know better than to use chakra in a _stamina_ checkpoint. Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he whispered hotly. 

Naruto glanced down to his hands, which he now noticed were emanating a slight orange glow, “What the hell!”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Neji from his right. 

“Pull it back in before anyone notices already! Neji and I covering you is going to look fucking weird if it lasts any longer.”

Naruto continued to stare confusedly at his hands, he closed his eyes to feel his chakra, which coursed through him and kept to the boundaries of his skin and their pathways. He snapped his eyes open, “This isn’t my chakra.”

“Yeah, and we all just have other people’s chakras seeping out of our pores.”

Naruto glared at his friend, “I’m serious. This isn’t my chakra, I can feel my chakra in all of their pathways at their normal levels. And this came out of nowhere, I can hardly feel it.”

“I can smell it off you, and I don’t have Inuzaka’s sense of smell,” Neji said.

“Yeah, you smell like fire Naruto, like a big log fire.”

“Well, I don’t normally trace like fire do I?”

Kiba and Neji looked at each other, considering this fact. Naruto could feel the odd vail of foreign chakra dissipate, as if it diffused into the air, leaving the smell of burning wood behind. Neji and Kiba peeled their arms away from Naruto, examining their friend. The strange orange glow had disappeared. 

Naruto turned to see Kurenai’s expression suddenly darken as she smelt the change in the air around them. Her dark eyes landed on Naruto, as he tried to look casual, patting Kiba’s back for good measure. 

“Naruto,” shouted a cold voice, “over here right now.”

Naruto slowly turned around and walked slowly to Kurenai, avoiding Kiba and Neji’s worried glances, “Yes ma’am?”

“Was that you who let out the flare of chakra?” she took a long inhale, “Fire?” 

“No ma’am my chakra doesn’t trace like fire,” he pushed out a small flare of his chakra to prove his point. The air around them took a thick buttery smell as Naruto’s power filled the space. He focused it to his fingertips, and after he saw acknowledgment form on Kurenai’s face, he reeled the chakra back in. 

Kurenai glanced suspiciously around at the others in the group, dismissing Naruto. He saw Shikamaru quickly thank Kurenai for the tips and joined Naruto as they walked back to their group. Naruto glanced around and saw that the girls had already started their laps. Ino and Sakura glared at each other as they ran side by side, and Naruto smiled at himself as he watched his friend’s rivalry. Shikamaru elbowed him.

“We need to have a little discussion on what the fuck that was. We can’t have you bringing too much attention to us Naruto, not right now.”

Naruto rubbed his arm, “I honestly have no idea what happened. One minute I was exhausted, and the next I’ve got all this energy coursing through me. I didn’t even realise it was chakra until Neji and Kiba pointed it out.”

Shikamaru analysed Naruto through narrowed eyes, “Your chakra normally traces like this buttery smell yes? That’s strange for it to suddenly trace like fire.”

“But this isn’t my chakra Shikamaru, I just pulled out my chakra just now, this shit came out of nowhere.”

At that moment, the sound of a loud horn interrupted their conversation.

“Yeah! Snack time!” yelled Chouji before running off into the cafeteria. Shikamaru gave Naruto a pointed look before following his friend.

Sakura came up behind him, “That Ino-pig thinks she can meet my record! She should know better, squad seven will always hold the record for stamina checks am I right?”

Naruto scoffed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the cafeteria, “Yeah yeah of course. If Sai was still here he would point out the fact that you do seem to always stand rather close to _Ino-pig_.”

Sakura punched him in the gut and looked away to hide her blush, “We’ve already gotten rid of that guy, so please shut the fuck up.”

Naruto laughed, “But you’re not denying it anymore are you Sakura-”

He got punched in the gut again. 

… 

Naruto went to sit down in his usual chair when he noticed a raven-haired boy in Sai’s old seat. He laughed at himself as he pictured Sai being thrown back into the facility for god knows what, he ran up and placed a heavy hand on Sai’s shoulder, which seemed rather bulkier now that he was closer. “Sai! What the fuck are you doing back he-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was being flipped and slammed onto the ground next to the table. 

“What the fuck!” he looked up to see an unfamiliar cold dark gaze boring down into him, “you’re not Sai!”

“Naruto, glad that you are already being acquainted with your new squad member,” he heard a bored voice say to his right. 

“Kakashi who the hell is this guy!” he said before getting back up to his feet, rubbing his elbow which had hit the ground hard. 

“Meet Sasuke Shiranui, he will be taking Sai’s place on team 7 from now on, he has just been transferred from the compound across the city.”

Naruto laughed, “Got to be hard sharing the same name with asshole Uchiha,” he said as he sat down, reaching out to grab an apple from the fruit bowl, “your parents must have big regrets after…” he trailed off when Neji sent him a sharp glare. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before sitting back down in his seat, his face unreadable. 

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the unresponsive raven but went back to eating his apple. Shikamaru sat down opposite of him, clearly about to speak before spotting the new member of their group. “Who are you?” 

Sasuke didn’t say anything until their whole group had taken their assigned seats, and then Kakashi spoke up from the head of the table, “This is Sasuke Shiranui, he is the new member of squad 7 who is replacing Sai and your new roommate, it seems.”

The whole group looked up at the mention that Sasuke would be their new roommate. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the Kakashi’s _it seems_ but continued to look bored as he gave Sasuke a once-over. The whole group remained silent, unsure how to react to the strange event. 

Naruto was beyond confused and spoke up, “But we don’t normally replace members after the gradua-”

“We will be discussing logistics and Sasuke’s integration to your team _later on_ in the week,” Kakashi cut in, “Sasuke explained to me that he is here because his old compound had gone beyond capacity.”

The whole group looked at each other skeptically, then glanced around the room to see if they had any other new people join, but it seemed that Sasuke was the only one. 

“Sai’s old bed has been attached back onto Lee’s,” Kakashi cut through their thoughts, “Sasuke, I hope you don’t mind being kicked randomly in the night.”

The group snickered and Lee bowed his head in shame, “Please accept my apologies, I don’t seem to have control over my senses when I am unconscious.”

Sasuke simply lifted an eyebrow. 

… 

Sasuke had no idea what Orochimaru had been thinking. Clearly, he was completely incompetent and knew nothing about the compounds he had set up. _Clearly, people don’t fucking move compounds right before they are due to graduate_ , thought Sasuke to himself as he angrily stored his things in the single chest drawer he had been allocated in the room. The drawer stank of paint and glue, clearly this Sai person hadn’t been ordered to disinfect it after he moved out. Sasuke packed in the sets of uniforms he had been given to the side of the drawer, and then stacked in the rest of his belongings. 

After their drills and a series of history lessons, they had a silent dinner in the main hall before heading upstairs to their room. The room was decently sized, four bunk beds pushed up against each wall and one window which gave a view of the center field. As soon as they had all filtered into the room, all the boys started accosting him with questions. Mainly the boy with the ponytail. 

“So, which compound did you come from?”

Sasuke had prepared all of his answers, if he wanted these boys to eventually trust him, he was going to have to play nice, “Otogakure.”

“Damn you’ve got a low voice for a… how old are you?” said the chubby guy from the corner.

“Seventeen.”

Ponytail hummed, “When will you be graduating then?”

“In around 4 months.”

His bunkmate with a bowl cut jumped next to him, “Gentlemen, we are being increasingly rude to our new friend. We must do introductions!” he then proceeded to shoot his hand out for Sasuke to shake, “My name is Rock Lee! But you can call me Lee!”

Sasuke glared at his hand but begrudgingly shook it.

“I guess introductions are necessary, I’m Shikamaru Nara.”

“Kiba Inuzuka!” said the boy with face tattoos to his right. 

“Neji Hyuga.”

“Chouji Akimichi.”

“Shino Aburame.”

They all stood leaning against their bed frames, and Sasuke eyed the blonde who was analysing him with an unsettled expression. Sasuke indicated towards him with a nod of his head, “And you?”

The blonde didn’t break eye contact with him as he said, “Naruto.”

“Just Naruto?”

“Just Naruto.”

He stared at the blonde for a moment, noticing three symmetrical scars that appeared to be on both of his cheeks. He gave him a once-over, noting Naruto’s battle stance and lean figure. Sasuke briefly wondered who would win in a fight if he were to go up against him, clearly, he was the strongest out of the whole group. An awkward silence settled upon them, and Sasuke turned to unpack his stuff. 

“Dude… what is this?” asked Kiba as he peered into his drawer and picked up the little container Sasuke had placed to the side, “Po-made… Poe-made… Po-mad…”

Sasuke snatched it back and glared at Kiba, “Pomade,” holding it up to his face.

Kiba grabbed it back and opened the lid, “What is this shit? It stinks.”

Sasuke looked at him confused, “What do you mean, it’s pomade…” 

The rest of the boys started to gather around the little container, looks of both skepticism and curiosity on their faces. Kiba dipped his finger into it, a string of it attached to his finger as he lifted it out of the container. “It’s sticky!”

Sasuke looked at Kiba like he had grown a second head, “Of course it is, it's pomade.”

“What is it supposed to do?” asked Neji as he leaned over his right shoulder. Clearly, these boys had never been taught about personal space. 

“It’s for your hair… to style it?” he looked around at the group, who now stared at him confused. Sasuke pointed at his hair, “How do you think I get my hair to look like this?”

Shino shrugged, “By using chakra like some of the other guys do?”

Sasuke gaped at him, “That’s such a big waste of chakra… why would anyone do that?”

“Well, actors in the movies have their hair like that,” Chouji said to his left.

“That’s because they use this,” he pointed to the pomade, “and other hair styling products.”

They all nodded their heads as they thought about this new information. Sasuke looked around at all of his new roommates. How were these idiots planning on overthrowing a whole government if they didn’t know what fucking pomade was? Sasuke rubbed a hand over his face, this was such a huge waste of time. 

… 

After the whole group had settled, Sasuke sat on his bed and wrote a handwritten letter. When he was satisfied with the contents, he sent up a flare of chakra and burned the letter before anyone else could read it. 

Shikamaru sat up in his bed at the sudden sight of blue flames, “Sasuke! You can’t just randomly burn things in here!”

“Duly noted.”

Shikamaru glared at him, “If a guard walks past and smells your chakra, we are fucking screwed and will be taken to the office for disciplinary measures.”

Kiba wrinkled his nose, “Sasuke, your chakra is quite um… pungent…” 

“Yeah, it smells like…” Neji sent a look to Naruto, “Wood.”

“Pinewood,” said Sasuke before turning over in his bunk bed to face the wall.

A loud horn sounded and all the lights turned off in their room. Sasuke let out a sigh and turned back to the other boys, “If anyone traces my chakra I’ll just-”

“Shut the hell up,” Shino hissed.

“I am going to talk if I want to talk-”

“No Sasuke, just be quiet, the horn sounded,” whispered Shikamaru before their door slammed open with a loud bang.

“Care to explain all the gossiping happening boys?” walked in a man who looked startling like Lee, his bowl cut crowning his head surprisingly symmetrically. He stopped mid-stride and took a deep inhale, before his face turned completely still, “Or why I can smell chakra in the air?”

Sasuke sat up from the top bunk, “Apologies sir, that was me.”

The man glanced at Sasuke, and recognition dawned on his face. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but his eyes went from hazy to completely glassed over, the iris and pupil going completely white. 

“Okay,” was all he said before walking out the room, gently closing the door behind him. 

All of the boys stared at Sasuke, who now had his back turned to all of them. Shikamaru glanced around at the group wearily. He then tapped his finger twice by his ear and then swayed his index to the left, their code for _talk later_. 

Naruto nodded from his bed, rubbing his index on the back of his left hand. _Something is off_. 

Neji looked around and at all of them, then lifted a fist, then two fingers. _Hideout 2_.

Shikamaru looked pensive at the others, then lifted a flat palm, then raised three fingers. _Group 3_.

All of them nodded in agreement. Chouji tapped the bottom of his chin twice, indicating a question, then pointed at Sasuke. _Sasuke?_

Shikamaru just repeated the sign for _later_ as he turned, his back facing the rest of them. They all accepted the dismissal and tried to get some sleep, an unsettling feeling resting in the air as this unknown person slept in their midsts. 

**Meanwhile at Otogakure…**

Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo were running laps around the forest. The rain had been pouring down for hours now, and Karin and Jugo lagged behind. Suigetsu had no such trouble, running contentedly to the sound of the pouring rain, but stopped when he smelt a slight hint of pinewood. He looked around and smiled at himself when he saw a piece of paper materialize from embers by a tree next to him. He unfolded the paper and read it under the branches. 

_Sharkbait,_

_I’ve just been posted to the facility at the old Senju compound, probably won’t be visiting you guys for a while. Snakefucker sent me here to keep a lookout on some delinquents who think they know fuck all about revolution. I’m supposed to be keeping him updated through the channel where these kids send their parents letters. At this point in time, here is what I’m thinking of writing this asshole:_

_“Dear father,_

_If I had the choice, I would gladly strangle you with the pet snake you are so fond of. When you are done messing with my life and being a general pain in my royal ass, please send for an escort because these idiots don’t know how to play poker and I think I am going to lose my mind.”_

_In other news, because of your lacking descriptions of what it is actually like in these compounds, I currently have no idea what the norm is for these people. Why can’t I talk in the corridor? Why do they look like they are about to piss themselves each time a coach reprimands them? How do they know what movies are but not pomade? I understand snakefucker is trying to keep the youth under his thumb and eventually use them in his master plan to take over the world, but that’s not going to work if these kids are idiots._

_Missing your sorry ass,_

_Charming_

Suigetsu frowned despite the contents of the letter. Jugo and Karin had caught up to him and sent a questioning glance at the letter. He handed it over for both of them to read, and when they had finished skimming the contents, they all looked at each other gravely. 

The rain had stopped and the stars stood out against the darkness of the evening sky. Karin stared out across the horizon in the direction of the Senju compound, letting out a breath of hot hair, “Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that was okay aaaaahh I've never done anything like this before fbeiwuododjkwq. The second chapter is basically completely written, so if people actually like this I might post it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter! I'm honestly really excited to write the unraveling of this story, so I hope you enjoy :))) 
> 
> The chapters are probably going to continue to be fairly long, so when exams start again, they may take a while to write. From my blocking of the story, there will be around 15-17 chapters (around 100k words? that kind of makes me nervous).
> 
> Also,, big thank you to ironmerc for beta-ing this :)))

Sasuke got up from the breakfast table, tapping his front pocket to ensure that the letter was safely tucked away. He began walking away when he noticed the rest of the table had gone completely quiet, he looked to see the confused faces of the rest of his roommates.    
  
“Sasuke, where are you going?” said Neji from beside him.    
  
Sasuke looked at him strangely, “To deliver a letter?” He fished the letter out of his pants and held it up for them to see.   
  
After a pause, both Kiba and Naruto burst out laughing, grabbing each other’s arms for support. Naruto wiped at a fake tear, “You’re kidding right?”    
  
Sasuke sent him a glare, “Why would I be kidding?”   
  
“Shiranui, sit back down.” sighed Shikamaru.   
  
It took Sasuke a brief second before he realised that  _ Shiranui _ was him.   
  
“I’m going to the office later today anyway, we could go together.”   
  
The amused expressions fell off the boy’s faces as they looked at Shikamaru. Choji placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Will you be alright?”   
  
Shikamaru shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, “Yeah it will be fine,” he smiled weakly at the rest of the group, “It’s just a little troublesome.” 

… 

After the day’s drills and lessons, Shikamaru and Sasuke detached from the rest of the group and headed over to the office. The office was a small offset of the whole compound, a low ceilinged building with a flat roof. Shikamaru took a steadying breath as he prepared himself for what was to come.

It now seemed that the coaches were using the smallest excuses to send the students in. Throughout his body, he felt the pins and needles he got when he felt like something was off.  _ Things are happening _ , he thought to himself as he paused in front of the glass double doors.    
  
Sasuke glanced at him, “Why did you stop?”   
  
Shikamaru closed his eyes, his brows knitting together, “No reason.” He said before walking into the room. Immediately, the smell of antiseptic stung the back of his nostrils. The light held a cool tint, plunging the room into an unsettling dimness. As he continued to walk through the room, the undertones of the scent the bleach attempted to conceal hit him. It was faint, but he could smell the traces of chakra leaking out of the inconspicuous metal door to the right. The chakra smelt  _ wrong _ , the product of forced combinations of many different types of chakra, the reactions caused by the blending of different powers. 

Shikamaru closed his eyes and took his last inhale of somewhat pure air before stepping up to the concierge. 

The man behind the desk looked up, “Nara Shikamaru?”

“Yes.”

The man indicated with his thumb to the metal door, “Please go to room fifteen and take a seat,” he scribbled something on a piece of paper, “as per usual, discussion of what happens in the disciplinary rooms is forbidden outside of this building. This includes discussion with the other soldiers, guards, and coaches, understood?”

Shikamaru nodded, internally rolling his eyes at their menial attempt at secrecy. He walked through the metal door. 

A year into living in the compound, Shikamaru figured out what they were doing in these facilities. Like the rest, he had originally thought that Lord Orochimaru was simply training children to be soldiers in an upcoming war. In the darkness of their rooms, the children swore to each other,  _ I will never fight for that man and his country _ . They had all accepted their fates, willing to put down their arms at the beginning of the battle to be slaughtered instead of letting Lord Orochimaru gain more power. 

But after the months went by, and the lack of military strategy training, and the constant visits to the disciplinary rooms, Shikamaru began to be a little suspicious. He walked through the halls of the facilities, listening to everyone conspire when war would come, but he felt the pins and needles which stopped him from theorising with the rest of his friends. 

Then came his first extraction. He had fallen asleep in class and had woken up to a hand slapping him across the head and given an order to head to the office. At the time, visits to the disciplinary rooms didn’t really have any significance to him. They would just check his BMA, blood pressure, height, weight, blood sugar levels, then ask him to perform some basic ninjutsu to indicate what his chakra traced as. He hadn’t understood the huge deal, it was all just troublesome. 

But the second time he walked through the doors, a new machine was propped up in the corner, and wires dragged across the floor. He had turned to see the old nurse who had been there last time gone, replaced by familiar peach coloured hair, dark eyes, and purple rope.

Tayuya had turned to look at him, smiling, “Well isn’t it nice to see you again!” She had said, before grabbing ten of the wires, indicating for him to sit on the examination table. At the sight of her, memories wrenched themselves forward to the front of his mind. Those hands wrapped around a flute, the smell of petrol diffusing into the air around them, his mother pushing him behind the kitchen counter as she screamed for the intruder to get away from her child. 

Shikamaru had looked at Tayuya calmly as he sat on the examination table. The needles had plunged into his chakra pathways, sealing his faith.

Now, he walked through the halls, trying to bring all of his chakra close to the surface of his skin. He had learned to do this after the third extraction, it made the process much quicker and less painful. If he didn’t pass out first of course, which would be inconvenient. He opened the door to room fifteen, trying not to let his fear show in his face. 

Tayuya was pressing buttons and adjusting the knobs on the machine but turned at the sound of the door opening. She gave Shikamaru a grin, “Well if it isn’t my favourite patient!”

… 

Sasuke walked up to the desk, and the man behind it gave him a once over with a skeptical look. He dropped the letter next to the vase of flowers, grabbing a pen from his back pocket to quickly write the address on the front. “I’d like to send this letter, I heard I was supposed to come here to have it delivered.”

The man narrowed his eyes at him, and Sasuke noticed that they were completely dark brown, devoid of the cataracts he normally saw in the coach’s eyes. The man picked up the letter and glanced at the address, double-taking at the person to who it was addressed, then burst out laughing.

He slapped his hand on the table, “Kid, this is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day!” He roared, leaning backward and making his chair squeak. He looked up at Sasuke, and seeing his sober expression, raised his eyebrows, “You can’t be serious.”

“I would like to have it delivered,” he repeated. 

Seeing that Sasuke was completely serious, the man lifted the letter to the boy’s face, “I think if Lord Orochimaru had a child, all of us in the department would have known by now.” He slid the letter back toward Sasuke, his face suddenly turning grave, “This was funny, so I won’t be sending you to the disciplinary rooms. If you try a trick like this again though, I will be taking further action.” 

Sasuke forcefully pushed the letter back towards the man. He breathed out a defeated sigh as he used his last bargaining chip, “I am not Orochimaru’s child. I am Sasuke.” But he couldn’t bring himself to say  _ Uchiha _ .

The man lifted an eyebrow, “Is that supposed to mean something to me? We have dozens of little Sasukes and Itachis running around in this facility, and last time I checked,” he picked up the letter and threw it across the room, “the real Sasuke Uchiha is now an enemy of the state, run off to join his older brother in the empire of Rain. I'm tired of this little game, so you have 30 seconds to get out of this room before I call in the guards.”

For a moment, all Sasuke could do was stand there motionless.  _ Sasuke Uchiha is now an enemy of the states? _ Slowly, he turned and walked out, picking up the letter before he opened the door. The sun stung his eyes as he adjusted to the bright light. He turned and started walking back towards his room, still slightly stunned.

_ Sasuke Uchiha is now a traitor of the state, _ the man had said. Still slightly confused at having his letter refused, and then being told he was an enemy of the state, Sasuke didn’t totally understand what was happening. As he walked he took in his surroundings, finally out of his shocked state, he realised what Orochimaru had done. Sasuke was in a facility at the edge of the city, he had no connections to anyone here, he had none of his equipment, and no one knew what he  _ fucking looked like _ . His chakra boiled through their pathways as rage mounted within him, but he made sure to keep his anger under control, not wanting to release his chakra and signal everyone in the area.  _ Orochimaru had set me up _ , thought Sasuke as he marched back to the west wing, feet pounding against the stone of the walkway. 

Sasuke stopped abruptly when the smell of saltwater filled the air, and he looked around, searching for the source of the scent. He saw the letter appear next to a fire hydrant to his left, and he grabbed it after it finished materializing. He immediately ripped the letter open.

_ Charming, _

_ I am sorry for the late reply, it has been a while since we’ve sent letters and I had to somehow explain my sudden need for pen and paper.  _

_ Get out of there if you can. At this point I have to be completely blunt, I apologise in advance. Pink eye, Snow white, and I were… being economical with the truth when we said that these facilities were set up to raise armies. That’s partly true, but Snake(fucker) has been using them to gather and bottle chakra to experiment different jutsu. Whatever you do, don’t go near the offices, they have a habit of throwing soldiers into the disciplinary rooms for trying to send letters to their mommys.  _

_ We need to find out what’s going on, don’t let anyone know you are sending these letters, burn this as soon as you get it.  _

_ Keep us posted,  _

_ Shark _

Distantly, Sasuke swore as he heard a faint scream leak out of the concrete walls of the office. 

….

Naruto waited patiently behind the west wing, crouched in the monsoon drain. Shikamaru was due to arrive any second now, which was a good thing since Naruto’s legs were cramping from bending to the curve of the moist wall. To his left, Shino stood with his hands outstretched, eyes shut in concentration as he summoned the insects in the surrounding area. A line of mosquitos reached him and landed on his arm. As they did, he carefully infused small amounts of chakra into them, then sent them out to keep a lookout on the area. Naruto shivered slightly at his friend’s weird powers. To his right, the veins around Neji’s eyes bulged out as he scanned the area, making sure they were not being watched. Recognition flashed in his face before Naruto heard a thump from behind. He turned to see a limping Shikamaru, slowly side-stepping across the side of the monsoon drain. 

Neji spoke up from his side, “Are you okay?”

Shikamaru gave a dismissive nod, “Yeah, let’s do this quickly.”

Naruto nodded, completing hand signs and creating four shadow clones in a puff of smoke. Three of the clones stepped forward and grasped forearms with Shikamaru, Neji and Shino. The three boys then slowly infused their chakra into the clones, and they shifted to become identical copies of the person they grasped their forearms to. 

Shikamaru slumped against the wall, and Neji grabbed his shoulder to support him, “Shikamaru,” he hissed. 

Shikamaru pushed himself off the wall, “Yeah sorry, just feel a little drained,” he said as he balanced himself, “Get the clones going, Neji you disperse the chakra.”

Naruto glanced worriedly at him. Normally, Shikamaru was the one to disperse the chakra, his own chakra tracing like wind on a rainy day and hardly noticeable in the air. Neji was the second choice, his chakra tracing like incense. 

Shino was no use, he smelled like dead ants.

The air stank off a heavy buttery smell courtesy of Naruto's shadow clone jutsu. Neji performed his Eight Trigrams palms, diffusing the air of Naruto’s trace and replacing it with the smokey smell of incense, which would hopefully go unnoticed. The shadow clones gave the four of them curt nods before carefully jumping out.

They carefully moved further along the monsoon drain, keeping to a low crouch as the group soundlessly made their way to the hideout. Naruto avoided the line of brown water that ran through the center of the drain, mud caking the edges of his shoes as he pressed his weight into every step. The walls around him were high enough to hide their bodies, but the boys were beyond precautious, opting to squat like ducks. The drain had detached off the west building, and now followed the edge of the main road that led to the other side of the compound where they kept large warehouses. 

Ahead of them, Shikamaru stopped. His hand came up to smooth the long crack that ran up the wall of the drain. Making sure it was the right place, he pushed against the stone, revealing a small dark doorway. 

Naruto shivered, “I hate hideout 2.”

The three other boys sent him a glare, Neji mouthing  _ shut up _ . Naruto put up his hands in surrender as Shikamaru jumped into the newly revealed hole in the wall. He heard a  _ thump _ sound as Shikamaru’s feet hit the hard concrete on the other side. Naruto steeled himself for the dark fall and stepped in through the makeshift door. 

He felt a spike of pain run through his shin as he landed, looking up to see the rest of the group brushing themselves off. Shikamaru jumped up and pushed the stone back into place.

“Well, you certainly took your time.”

Naruto turned around to see Kakashi, who sat reclined in the metal fold-up chair in the corner of the dark room. 

… 

Sasuke walked back to the west building at a steady pace, trying not to let his sudden panic show in his face. Mostly, he was trying to make a plan of sorts. 

Looking up at the huge clock set up at the front of the main building, he saw that he had an hour to get to his room before the lights went out. Sasuke took the pathway to the right and made a detour to the library. Neji had told him that the library was situated on the ground floor of the East wing, where the girl's dorms were. He needed a place to clear his thoughts, and being surrounded by the smell of old parchment would hopefully inspire some sort of plan out of him. However, when he walked through the glass doors, he was met with a heavy smell of bleach. 

The walls and flooring were blindingly white, reflecting the light that came in through the windows. Bookshelves lined both sides of the room, the books neatly pressed into the heavy metal frames. At the end of the room, there was a lady who sat at a desk, presumably the librarian. 

There was no seating area. Sasuke thought that this place was not so much a library, but more of a place that stored books. He had been counting on the feel of a heavy wooden desk beneath him, but he opted for awkwardly going into the first section to his left. 

The area he was in was dim, the bookshelves shading him from the others in the room. He didn’t bother focusing on the book titles and instead leaned against the wall to think. Sasuke would need to figure out what Orochimaru wanted, how he would get out of here, and what he was going to do afterward. There were some tricky politics that Sasuke didn’t understand fully yet, but he would have to unravel this delicate web eventually. Clearly, Orochimaru wasn’t interested in being his ally anymore if he had announced that Sasuke was an enemy of the state. That wasn’t necessarily an immediate problem, since most people wouldn’t recognise his face. Orochimaru had always insisted he wear a mask that covered his whole face when they went out on public exhibitions. A sign that Sasuke was  _ his _ . A possession of Orochimaru’s. Sasuke wouldn’t have to worry about wandering the streets and being recognised, if anything, he was  _ known _ for being the boy with the white cat-shaped mask. A red slash down the center. 

But if Orochimaru wanted to get rid of him, he could have simply sent an assassin to do the job whilst he was sleeping. He thought back to what Suigetsu had said. No, he was in the facility for a reason… but there wasn’t anything particularly special about his chakra, so he couldn’t quite figure out what it was…

Sasuke looked up when he heard footsteps at the entrance of his alcove, recognising the man with grey hair and a creepy smile on his face.

“Fancy seeing you here, browsing…” Kabuto looked at the placard indicating which section they were in, “children and middle grade.”

Sasuke looked at the man suspiciously, glancing around for the possible escape routes, “What are you doing here Kabuto?”

“Oh you know, running errands around the compound,” Kabuto said while taking a step closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately seized his opportunity and reached out to grab Kabuto’s hand, slamming the man up against the wall. “They wouldn’t let me send my mission update, and these children aren’t fucking conspiring. What am I doing here Kabuto?” he gritted out.

“Don’t be so frisky, little cat.” said Kabuto smiling, “Orochimaru just had to find a way to get you into the facility without using force, we are going to run some tests to satisfy his curiosity and then you’ll be out before you know it.”

“Why am I an enemy of the state then?”

Kabuto squinted at him, “How did you hear about that?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Kabuto shrugged, “Had to explain your sudden disappearance, and since you don’t have the permit to leave on individual missions, this was the next best thing.”, he patted Sasuke’s head with his other hand, “Don’t worry kitten, I’m sure Orochimaru will issue a full pardon once this is over. Just be compliant and it will all end soon.”

Sasuke let go of Kabuto’s hand, “Be glad I’m not killing you right here right now. Tell Orochimaru that if he wants something, he should demand it like he usually does.” He glared at Kabuto, “I don’t like being tricked.” he said, before angrily grabbing a book and walking out. 

… 

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and slumped down into the seat opposite Kakashi, “I had to go to the office.”

Kakashi nodded in understanding as the rest of the boys took their seats around the makeshift table. An eyepatch lay on the table, and Naruto looked up to see Kakashi’s red eye boring into him. 

“Presumably your clones are in their places?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, let’s get started then. Shikamaru?”

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably in his seat, breathing heavily through his nose. “They have increased the number of disciplinary visits people get per month, it seems that they are gathering and testing more and more chakra. I don’t know what they are planning to do and why they need so many different types of chakra, but something is happening. All the chakra they have stored is only going to last a few months in their units before it diffuses back into the atmosphere. From what Neji has told us, they aren’t using the chakra to do mass tests of jutsu, it’s just sitting there. So…” he trailed off, placing his elbows on his knees and breathing heavily.

Neji placed a worried hand on his shoulder, “Shikamaru…”

Shikamaru pushed his hand away, “I’m fine, just feeling dizzy.”, he lifted himself from his hunched position, and stared straight into Kakashi’s red eye, “Something is happening, what information do you have.”

Kakashi sighed, “Not much, Orochimaru’s personnel have been coming down stronger with checking the coach barracks. Kabuto has come twice in the last month to check on his possession jutsu over all of us. I had to use genjutsu twice,” he rolled his shoulders, “any other news?”

The four boys shook their heads.

Kakashi nodded, “I have gotten in contact with Sai.”. At this, all of them looked at him expectantly, he continued, “He has been sending these liquid cockroaches to my room, it’s rather disturbing. I, of course, haven’t been able to send him anything in return, but he has been updating me on the situation outside of the facility.”

“And?” asked Shino.

“And… not much new has been happening. Poverty still running rampant, murder rates are high, all the roads and public amenities destroyed and vandalised, the number of orphaned children increasing, Orochimaru lounging in the palace being served roast turkey and browsing through chakra samples.”

Naruto fisted his hand in his lap, “That fucker, when I get my hands on him-”

“But,” Kakashi cut in, “one interesting thing  _ has _ happened…” He looked around at the boys, examining them before saying, “It seems that Uchiha Sasuke is no longer in the palace, and is suspected to have run off to join his brother.”

Neji scoffed, “Typical.”

“We shouldn’t have expected anything less from the princess.” Naruto said.

From what he had heard about Uchiha Sasuke, he had willingly joined up with Orochimaru after said man had slaughtered his whole family in front of him. At twelve years old, he was the only surviving member of the Uchiha massacre, apart from his estranged brother who had escaped to the Empire of Rain. When Naruto and all of Konoha’s children had been pushed into the facilities, scared and shivering in their new assigned bunks, there were whispers - 

_ Sasuke is still alive. _

_ The Uchiha haven’t fallen yet. _

_ Sasuke and Itachi will rise and defeat Lord Orochimaru. _

There was hope. But that hope turned into burning rage a week later, when Orochimaru had come into the facility to give a speech on loyalty and new beginnings. A masked Sasuke at his side.

Shikamaru hummed, “But why now? What do you think happened?”

Kakashi looked at him, “I’m not sure, but just after everyone started noticing that the Uchiha was gone. Orochimaru announced that he was now an enemy of the state.”

The boys looked confused at this, glancing at each other, silently agreeing that this was out of character for Uchiha Sasuke. 

“Do you think he is finally doing something? Or did Orochimaru just get tired of his little plaything?” said Shikamaru.

“We can’t be sure yet, but no one seems to know where the Uchiha has run off to. Orochimaru hasn’t set any bounty on his head as he has for Itachi, so perhaps that means he knows where he is and doesn’t want anyone hurting or looking for him.”

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, “What does that mean?”

Kakashi gave him a patient glance, “What’s so special about the Uchiha do you think?”

“I mean they are the royal family, well... were.”

The grey-haired man gestured impatiently, “Apart from that.”

“They have their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan.” added in Neji to Naruto’s right. 

“Yes. Now, what does Orochimaru long for the most?”

The boys looked at each other, but Shikamaru responded quickly, “Power and knowledge.”

“Exactly.”

Shino and Naruto looked at each other, still not catching on to what Shikamaru and Kakashi were saying. Shikamaru clarified. 

“What you are saying is, Orochimaru might have seen the power in Sasuke's developed Sharingan, and he plans to harvest it for his own.”

Kakashi nodded, “So right now, Sasuke could either be dead or running as fast as he can.”

… 

Sasuke was laying in bed, flipping through a copy of  _ Little Women _ he had hastily grabbed off the shelf when Kabuto had confronted him. The library only had  _ facility approved _ books, ones that wouldn’t inspire any of these children to start a revolution.

Sasuke thought  _ Little Women _ was plenty inspiring. 

Kabuto hadn’t been surprised to see him at all, in fact, it almost appeared as if he was  _ looking _ for Sasuke.  _ But why was Kabuto here anyway _ , wondered Sasuke. Kabuto was Orochimaru’s right hand in command, so why was he ‘running errands’ in the facility? He shifted in the pillows to look over the room, his roommates were being oddly quiet… 

Sasuke turned to face the bunk bed to his right, “Hey Shikamaru, do you know of a man named Kabuto?”

Shikamaru shifted to look at him, a dumb expression on his face, and then shook his head. Sasuke’s eyebrows knitted in confusion, he turned to the other boys, “Anyone else know of a man named Kabuto?”

All the boys ignored him in favour of feigning sleep. 

Sasuke snapped his head back at Shikamaru, “Hey, are you sure?”

Normally, Shikamaru would have given him at least some reply, but he just nodded and turned to face the wall. 

_ What was up with them today _ ? Sasuke had learned that on a regular night, the boys would play cards, gossip, talk about movies that had played in the hall, or ask Sasuke oddly specific questions about the Otogakure facility. But tonight, all the boys lay silent in their bunks, not facing each other. Sasuke thought back to the training session, wondering if the drills were particularly hard today.

Naruto jumped out of his bed, “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.” he said before walking out. 

Standing up, Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru looked at each other and nodded, following Naruto out of the dorm. 

Naruto scratched the back of his head on the way out, “What a coincidence that you all have to come with me,” he grinned sheepishly and said, “I mean the more the merrier!” before walking out. 

Sasuke scoffed.  _ What was all that about _ ? He thought to himself. The boys were acting strangely. He looked over at Kiba who seemed to have visibly tensed. He kept on glancing at the door, fidgeting with his blanket.

When Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, and Naruto walked back into the room, Shikamaru looked visibly more exhausted.  _ Was he limping? _

Sasuke quirked up an eyebrow, “Using the bathroom that tiring, Nara?”

Shikamaru smirked at him, “Absolutely draining, Shiranui.” he said before slumping on his bed. 

All the boys looked at him with concerned expressions, but when Shikamaru lifted up a hand slightly and swiped to the right, they all relaxed. 

_ Okay, something is going on _ , Sasuke thought to himself. He was going to have to find out what these boys were up to, and maybe if they could somehow help him get the hell out of this place. 

… 

People hated Itachi Uchiha for many reasons. Orochimaru hated Itachi Uchiha because he had slipped out of his grasps. On the night of the falling, his subordinates had come down on the city and its royal family. Orochimaru had searched the palace for the heir to the throne but found the chambers and the secret hideouts completely void of any trace of him. Itachi was the only Uchiha who wasn’t either dead or under his control, leaving Orochimaru to settle for the spare, who cowered in the corner crying out to his brother. The people of Konohagakure hated Itachi Uchiha because he was the crown prince who had been too weak to save their kingdom. He had slipped out in the night, and though this initially brought hope that he would one day return, that hope eventually boiled down into bitter resentment, as years passed by with no sign of the cowardly prince. The lands surrounding Konohagakure hated Itachi Uchiha because he was a stranger that crept in the night and haunted their streets, and their criminals hated him because he was rather good at capturing them alive. 

Sasuke Uchiha hated Itachi because he was the brother who had abandoned him. 

Currently, Itachi Uchiha hated Itachi Uchiha because he was an idiot. 

Itachi sat slumped by the bar of the tavern, taking a slow sip of the apple juice he had ordered. His hood was up to shadow his face from passing travelers, but also to hide how absolutely wrecked he felt. He had spent months in the Earth Republic, slowly gathering money from capturing bounty. His father would probably roll in his grave if he knew what Itachi was using the Sharingan for. All of this just so he could have the funds for his search for the last Senju.

_ Last Senju _ , Itachi scowled into his drink. 

For years, his brain had been wired to one thing.  _ The last Senju _ . Finding her, convincing her to join him to bring back the Empire of Fire. He had believed  _ for years _ that the restoration of the Empire would bring about peace for both of their kingdoms.

Itachi had  _ left _ Konoha to go on this wild goose chase, and now he sat at a bar, miles away from his home which he hadn’t seen for  _ years _ . He had grasped at every lead and hint to where the Senju was. He had climbed over mountains at just a bare  _ whisper _ of the name  _ Tsunade _ . 

“Did you hear about the Uchiha?”

Itachi’s attention snapped back to reality and his ears tuned into the conversation behind him.

“Which one?”

“The young one, Sasuke. He’s now an enemy of the state! They announced it three days ago, no one knows where he is.”

“Serves him right, see how he feels having someone chase you.”

It took Itachi three seconds to stand up and throw a few coins onto the bar counter. The doors flew open as he walked into the brisk night outside of the bar. He did mental maths on how long it could take to get to Konohagakure, and how he would cross the border. He didn’t know what Sasuke was up to, but knowing Orochimaru’s border patrol, he wouldn’t have made it out of the country yet. That is  _ if _ he wasn’t in some dungeon cell at the bottom of the castle. 

Itachi rounded the corner and entered through the back doors. The stables lay quiet this time at night, he faintly registered the sound of hooves thumping against hard soil and the chatter of the city around him as he zeroed in on the stall at the back. He opened the tall wooden gate and carefully walked in, and Yata looked up at him from where she was sleeping. He had unknowingly abandoned his brother, but Itachi had stayed away knowing that he was at least somewhat safe with the pact he had made with Orochimaru. But now, there was no longer an excuse to stay away from Konoha. Itachi would keep his promise to his little brother, and save him from whatever mess he had gotten himself into. 

He gently brushed Yata’s nose, whispering into the empty night, “We are going home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dead ants have a smell, I don't know if I can explain this, but they do - it's sort of metallic. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading :)))


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke getting his shit together, but not really... Actually... not at all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving pretty fast, I hope everything makes sense :))
> 
> I'm going to be starting school again soon, so updates might be a little slow... anyways, hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Big thank you to ironmerc for beta-ing this!)

With a pillow tucked behind her head, Ino leaned back comfortably as the coaches did their monthly surprise checks. Today, Kurenai walked through the door, greeting her with a smile that didn’t quite meet her glassed-over eyes. 

Ino beamed at her, “Hi Kurenai! How are you today?”

The lady smiled back for a brief moment before her face froze over and became hard. She said in a distant voice, “Please stand up Ino, I will be checking behind your bed. You should know protocol by now.”

Ino sighed and gently slid off the bed to stand next to Sakura, who gave her a glare. Sakura glanced anxiously at the spot behind the bed, and Ino gave her a shove with her elbow to get rid of the expression. 

“Ino.” warned Kurenai as she patted down the pillows and removed the bedspread. She looked under the mattress and along the walls, searching for any unauthorised items. 

About three months into the first year, Shikamaru had worked out the pattern of the seemingly random checks the coaches ran through every month. They changed every year, but after the first couple of months, he had always cracked the code and informed the rest of their group. Ino had known the visit was today and had hidden everything inside her mattress, where she had cut out a little alcove. 

Kurenai finished inspecting the beds and the rest of the room and left without another word. Ino let out a little disappointed sigh. Normally, Kurenai would have stayed back a minute to talk to Ino, and they would gossip about the latest happenings in the facility. But in the last few months, whenever Ino had tried to be friendly, the cloud in Kurenai’s eyes would go opaque, and she would answer in short clipped responses. 

Kabuto was tightening up security on the coaches.

Ino turned to the rest of the girls in the room, “That’s the third time she has left without saying anything.”

Tenten leaned against the bed frame, “Yeah, why do you think they are increasing the hold of the possession jutsu?”

“I don’t know, but something is definitely happening.” answered Sakura.

“Yeah. We even got a new guy, we have never gotten a new recruit who was so close to graduating age.” Ino said before sending a glance to Sakura, “He’s kinda cute though.”

Ino smiled at the small wave of agitation that crossed Sakura’s face, but she quickly covered it by going to fold her laundry. Internally, Ino gave out a little chuckle.  _ This pink-haired girl was definitely an idiot if she thinks I have any interest in a guy named Sasuke. _

If Ino could do anything, it was holding a grudge.

“Focus.” snapped Tenten from the corner. 

“Right right,” Ino slumped onto her bed and leaned back against her pillows, “I will go talk to Shikamaru at weight training today, see what he knows. Hinata, have you noticed anything suspicious happening in the compound?”

“Recently, no. But the warehouses at the back seem to be getting more stocked up every day. I talked to Neji about it, and he said he noticed it some 2 weeks ago.” she activated her Byakugan and stared out of their windows towards the west building, “I can’t see very well from here, but it seems that the stocks will last about 5 or so more months before the chakra diffuses back into the atmosphere.”

She deactivated her Byakugan, and the air around them filled with a nice scent of roses that wasn’t easily detectable. 

“What do they need all of that chakra store for?” asked Sakura. 

The girls glanced at each other skeptically. It was four months until all of them were graduating, and with every hour which passed, Ino could feel her anticipation grow in the pit of her stomach. 

It had been four years since they had stepped outside of the gated compound, and her excitement to see the outside world felt like it was going to make her explode. Mostly, she couldn’t wait to see her family again. To run through the streets, weave through the neighbourhood, and storm into their one-story house like she used to. To toe-off her shoes and jump onto the couch, smelling the warm scent of her mother making apple pie. To sneak into her father’s office after her bedtime and read over his shoulder in the light of the banker’s lamp. 

To pick flowers with Sakura in the forest behind her house, getting dirt beneath their fingers and anticipating the calls of their parents to rush in before the sunset.

“Ino, are you okay?”

Ino looked at her friend’s worried face, her pink eyebrows lifted in an uncharacteristically caring expression. Ino smiled sadly, “Of course. Just missing home.”

“Four more months.”

She nodded, “Four more months.” 

… 

Naruto still hadn’t made his mind up about the new guy. Whenever they came back to the dorms, he would either be completely silent or make sarcastic remarks. For some reason, he seemed to have a personal vendetta against Naruto. He kept on  _ scowling _ at anything he said. Alternatively, he would roll his eyes. Naruto had asked him what his deal was, and all he had said was  _ you’re loud _ . 

Nevermind, Naruto  _ had  _ made up his mind. He didn’t like whatever Sasuke’s deal was.

They were in training room B, the girls were working on the left side whilst the guys worked on the right. The fluorescent lights shone through his eyelids as he rested after the set, causing weird shapes to form in his vision when he blinked his eyes open. 

Naruto didn’t necessarily love weight training, but he understood the importance of the strength that came with it, so he always managed to push himself through the reps and their coaches’ incessant criticism. He also acknowledged that he had gotten surprisingly strong over the last two years, his muscles now bulging out through his shirts, making them too tight. What’s more, he saw it in the way some of the girls in other years would stare at him, which really only made him slightly uncomfortable. 

“Naruto, add more weight.” shouted Guy from where he stood against the back wall.

Naruto groaned slightly as he placed the barbell into it’s rack and lifted his back off the bench press. He gently pulled both weights off each side of the barbell and walked over to where the extra weights were stored. As he arranged everything back, he noticed that Sasuke was also there, pulling out two 40 KG weights. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he placed his weights back onto the rack, then grabbed two 50 KG weights.

Sasuke looked him dead in the eye, still holding eye contact as he placed his 40 KG weights back and grabbed 50 KG weights.

Naruto walked back to his bench and gently put the weights on each side of the barbell. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sasuke already lying on the bench press next to him. 

“Kiba, spot me?” he said before laying down onto the bench.

Sasuke hadn’t asked for anyone to spot him, but Lee came up from behind and stood above him. “My dear roommate, you must understand how irresponsible you are being by bench pressing without a spotter! What happens if you slip and choke yourself to death! We will all have to sit and watch your graphic death.”

“I don’t slip.” said Sasuke before he started pressing.

Naruto rolled his eyes, but looked over and matched the slow pace that Sasuke was going. About 30 seconds in, he noticed that Sasuke had increased his rhythm.  _ Oh no you don’t _ , thought Naruto before he too increased his pace. Naruto could see Sasuke glancing at him from the edge of his vision, and then he heard him scoff and saw that he was increasing his pace already to meet him. They went on like that for about five minutes, neither of them letting the other get the lead.

“Hey, um, Naruto… you might want to… slow down dude.” he heard Kiba say above him.

“Tell that to Sasuke.”

Kiba looked between the two of them, “Are… you racing him? How did this even… what?”

Pain started to bloom throughout his upper arms, and he could feel the slight shake of his abdomen as he continued to press. Whatever competition Sasuke had started, he was  _ not _ going to let the asshole beat him. 

“Ew, testosterone.” remarked, who can only be, Ino from where she was switching out her weights.

“Naruto and Sasuke, stop right now,” demanded Guy, “come over here.”

The sternness in Guy’s voice made his arms freeze up, and Kiba reached out to steady the barbell on top of him.

“Dude…” he hissed.

They settled the barbell on the stand and Naruto sat up to meet Guy’s cold stare. The whites of his eyes completely took over his irises, and now they locked onto Sasuke, a sudden fury in his face blooming. Naruto glared at Sasuke, who stood gingerly and walked to stand in front of their coach. Naruto followed him.

“What do you think you were doing?”

“My apologies sir, we were going too fast.” said Naruto.

“It was just a friendly competition, sir.” Sasuke asserted quietly.

Guy’s head turned slowly to look directly into Sasuke’s eyes, “What was that?”

“A friendly competition sir-” replied Sasuke before Naruto elbowed him to stop talking.

“Sasuke,” said Guy, “When did I give you permission to speak back to me?”

“Apologies sir, but you asked-” Sasuke was cut off by another sharp elbow Naruto nudged into his side.  _ This guy has a death wish _ , thought Naruto.

“Apology not accepted, you will be spending your evening at the office. I will not allow your disrespectful behaviour any longer, dismissed.”

Naruto turned to make his way back to his bench but noticed that Sasuke still stood in front of Guy, not making any move to walk away. His stance was almost… challenging. Before thinking about it, Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s bicep and dragged him away from the coach.

Sasuke sent him a glare as they walked away, pulling his arm away from Naruto's grip, “I don’t need your help idiot.”

“You were about to land yourself two extractions, I think you should be thanking me,” Naruto hissed back.

Sasuke scowled and sat on his bench, ignoring Naruto in favour of doing a few stretches.

Naruto rolled his eyes and laid down on the bench press again. Shikamaru approached him from behind, “What happened?”

“Nothing to me, Sasuke is being sent to the office tonight though.”

Shikamaru sent a concerned glance at a stretching Sasuke, “Do you think he knows what he is getting himself into?”

Naruto lifted an eyebrow, “What do you mean, Sasuke spent his time in a training facility like the rest of us. Surely things aren’t that different in Otogakure.”

Shikamaru hummed, continuing to spot Naruto in silence. 

Naruto wondered what was on his friend’s mind, and he gently rested his barbell on the rack. He brought his index finger to his chin and tapped twice -  _ what? _

Shikamaru crossed his fingers then lifted an index to swipe to the right -  _ we need to talk later. _

Naruto raised a hand and gave Shikamaru a fist pump, and then gently set three thingers on the barbell -  _ Hideout 3. _

Shikamaru nodded slightly, then he rested a flat palm on the barbell, then lifted two fingers -  _ group 2 _ . When he saw Naruto’s nod back, he lifted a pinky finger -  _ I’ll tell the others _ .

They went back to doing their sets, not noticing Sasuke eyeing their little exchange. 

… 

The warm breeze of the afternoon air did nothing to calm his increasingly worried thoughts. Normally, Sasuke Uchiha wasn’t one to be nervous, but he was apparently going soft. 

The sun was starting to set, and the dusk fell over the compound, leaving a soft orange glow over the world. Sasuke walked briskly down the concrete pathway as he made his way to the office, wishing he had headed to Suigetsu’s advice. He had been reckless and stupid, but something in the glint of Naruto’s sapphire eyes compelled him to be very…  _ un-Uchiha _ . Something in the way his hands had gripped the barbell, in his quick glances and determined expression. 

Also, Sasuke Uchiha was just very competitive. And Naruto was  _ competition. _

Sasuke took in a deep breath before he walked through the glass doors, his eyes meeting a familiar smiling face.

“Nice seeing you here again… Sasuke.” 

Sasuke stood awkwardly near the doorway, “Coach Might Guy sent me.”

The man hummed, “Go through that door, room 17.”

Sasuke started to make his way through the door when the man spoke up again, “You got me in a little trouble the other day, heh?” he looked him dead in the eye, his casual expression gone, “Sasuke Uchiha.” 

Sasuke felt a shiver down his spine at the man’s hungry expression, “How…”

“Kabuto paid us a visit the other day, you’re in for a real treat,” he gave Sasuke a toothy smile, “your highness.” 

Sasuke turned and walked through the doors as fast as he could without running, slamming the heavy metal door behind him. As soon as he was through the threshold he doubled back at the intensity of the stench. He clutched his chest as the air around him felt stifling, the intensity of the unnatural smell overwhelming his senses. He took one last gulp of air before he steeled himself and walked down the empty hallway. 

The walls were tinged blue by the overhead light, and Sasuke walked past each door looking for room 17. The single doors around him came to their end as the hallway ahead of him continued with sets of double doors. Sasuke stopped in front of his designated room. 

He set his expression to a passive one, rolled his shoulders, and turned the door handle. 

He scanned the room, looking for the possible threats, and found three doctors sitting casually in metal fold-up chairs. They all glanced at Sasuke when he walked in. 

A man with ivory coloured hair stood up and slowly moved towards the examination table. Sasuke noticed that the man’s eyes were red-rimmed as he gently pushed a few buttons on the large machine situated next to the table. 

“Please take a seat.” ordered the man. 

Sasuke walked across the room and carefully placed himself on the hard metal of the table, “What are you going to do?”

“This is your first session, so we will be running a few tests.” he said as he pulled a few wires from the side of the machine, “I am Kimimaro, the other doctors are here to observe. Please remove your shirt.”

Sasuke let out a breath and lifted his shirt off his chest, and Kimimaro gently pushed him to lie flat on the table. The two other doctors came up and stood on either side of him, he heard a click and looked down to see his hands locked in metal braces. 

“Hey!” Sasuke warned.

“This will be a lot easier if you remain cooperative.”

Sasuke swallowed and resolved to detach himself, but when the needles were plunged into him and the extraction started, the pain reached a blinding point, and he couldn’t help but thrash against his constraints. Ten minutes in, he gave in to the pain and screamed. 

… 

When Nara Shikamaru says  _ later _ , he might actually be saying  _ never _ . 

Naruto understood that the guy was some sort of genius, but when he spent long periods of time brooding and staring into space, Naruto got a little frustrated. Group 2 - Kiba, Naruto, Lee, and Shikamaru - were supposed to be sneaking to the hideout, but whenever they made a move to leave, Shikamaru would raise a hand and say, “wait.”

When they had arrived back at the dorm from specialised jutsu training that afternoon, Sasuke had left almost immediately to go to the office. Now, the sun had almost completely set and the alarm curfew would be ringing in about forty minutes.

Shikamaru stood up and stretched, “Okay, we are going to leave now. But let’s go scattered,” he turned and pointed at each of them, “Kiba, you go around the front through the hole we found, Naruto you take the tunnel, Lee will jump over the fence.”

“What are you going to do?” questioned Kiba as lifted himself off the bed.

Shikamaru smirked, “I’ll be walking out the front door with Kakashi, of course.”

… 

  
  


This wasn’t Uchiha Sasuke’s first rodeo. He had trailed many people for Orochimaru, and following Lee wasn’t exactly a challenge. It shouldn’t have been a challenge, but Sasuke had just practically had his guts pulled out, so he wasn’t feeling his best. He felt it was a possibility that he had lost the ability to think straight. Still, he steeled himself to ignore the pain and the unfamiliar feeling of emptiness as he crept along the shadows of the building. 

Lee was horrible at looking nonchalant. Sasuke could practically smell his nervousness, which just reinforced the fact that these children had no idea what they were doing. But Sasuke had already spent two weeks in the facility, gathering a disappointingly little amount of intel for himself. All conversations the boys had in their dorm were superficial, and the only thing the coaches ever said were instructions or reprimands. Apart from Kakashi, who seemed to make offhand remarks during his sword fighting lessons. 

His roommates were not letting anything slip. Which was either slightly impressing, or just pointed to the fact that they were not planning anything at all. However, on some nights, Sasuke noticed a shift in the energy in the dorm. Some evenings they would return from the showers, and the whole atmosphere in the dorm would change. The worst of whom would be Lee, who (he had learned) often sent forward kicks to the upper bunk when he was anxious. It almost became their little (though unbeknown to Lee) signal that something was going on, despite how irritated it made Sasuke feel.

This was the first time he had ever seen any of them actually sneak away from the building when they had only a couple minutes left till curfew, and Sasuke wasn’t going to lose this opportunity. Lee was walking (very casually) towards the tall chain-link fence, beyond which was the forest. 

To his astonishment, Lee summer-salted backward over the 3 meters high fence. Sasuke stared in bewilderment at the back of a shiny bowl of hair for a few seconds before he snapped himself out of it. He glanced around looking for a way to get over the fence, spotting a tree at the edge of the compound which extended over the fence.

Sasuke let out a sigh,  _ you’ve got to be kidding me _ . He snuck around the building and reached the tree, focussing the little chakra he had left on his hands as he climbed. The wind was high, so he wouldn’t have to worry about his trace. 

Once he was over the fence and crouching at the base of the branch, he quietly jumped through the forest using the branches until he spotted a familiar emerald green jumpsuit. He crept closer between the trees and saw Shikamaru, Kiba, Lee, and Kakashi standing in a little clearing.  _ Kakashi? _

At that moment, he saw a hand peak out under a little wooden door he hadn’t noticed before, a familiar head of blond poking out a few seconds later. 

“Shikamaru, you know I hate dark spaces. Why did you make me go through the tunnel?” Naruto whined.

“You have blond hair, would attract attention.” said the guy lazily.

Sasuke adjusted himself so he was hidden behind the tree, he brought what was left of his chakra to his ears, increasing his hearing. Which was a mistake. He hadn’t realised how depleted his chakra was, and suddenly the chakra he had focused by his hands to steady himself was gone. Sasuke was now dizzy, weak, and unbalanced on a tiny branch. He cursed loudly.

He fell. Landing in a heap a few meters away from the group.

“What the actual fuck?” 

Sasuke scowled at his weak body and slowly stood, brushing off the dirt that had gotten on his uniform.

“That was pathetic. What are you doing here?” questioned Kakashi, though he didn’t seem surprised to see Sasuke.

Sasuke went for a simple answer, “I was following Lee.”

Shikamaru glared at Lee, then turned back to Sasuke, “ _ Why _ are you here then?”

“I-” Sasuke took a deep breath before piercing him with a glare, “I need your help”

The group looked confused at this, and Naruto said after a pause, “Okay…”

“I’m not supposed to be here.”

“You are not, you are supposed to be in your dorm.” remarked Shikamaru

“No,” Sasuke glared at him, “I’m not supposed to be in a facility.”

Kiba lifted an eyebrow, “What do you mean? You’re seventeen.” 

Sasuke shifted on his feet, to what looked suspiciously like a battle stance. His aim was to get these people on his side so that he could escape. Though he hadn’t been planning on that happening  _ today _ . He had gotten himself into this situation, and he wasn’t going to become a liar.

So he gave in to the truth, “My name isn’t Shiranui, I am Sasuke Uchiha.”

There was a tense silence before Kiba spoke up, “You’re joking right?”

Sasuke shook his head, “No-”

“What the fuck.” said Naruto through clenched teeth.

Sasuke looked over at him, and then deeply regretted it. The blond looked absolutely fuming. He glanced between Shikamaru and Sasuke, almost as if asking permission to attack. His breathing was heavy and his fists were balled to his sides, and Sasuke swore he started to smell fire in the air. 

Sasuke didn’t know what he had done to Naruto, so he resigned to detach himself completely. Over the years, Sasuke had gotten familiar with strangers hating him. Albeit, he probably deserved it. 

“You fucker, do you have any idea what you-”

“Prove it.” 

They all turned to look at Kakashi, none of them saying a word. When Sasuke didn’t make a move to do anything, he repeated, “Prove it. Activate your Sharingan.”

“The trace-”

“Do it.”

Sasuke hesitated but then nodded. He called for his chakra to pool around his eyes, feeling them grow heavy. The smell of pinewood was now surrounding them, circulating in the air as he felt a click around his temples. His eyes flashed open to reveal blood-red irises, three commas encircling his pupil. 

Naruto gazed into his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at the pattern. After a moment, he looked down at himself and touched the right side of his chest, over the symbol that was displayed there.

“That’s Orochimaru’s symbol.”

“No.” Sasuke scowled, “It’s the symbol Orochimaru stole from the Uchiha.”

Naruto sneered, “You were the one who let him use you like a dog-”

“Why are you here?” demanded Kakashi.

Sasuke turned to look at Kakashi. He debated lying for a split second, but then settled on, “I was sent here to look for any suspicious activity among the soldiers. I found out a week into being here that Orochimaru had announced that I was now an enemy of the state.”

None of them looked surprised at the last piece of information, Sasuke mentally noted that down. 

“Uchiha,” said Shikamaru, rubbing his eyebrows, “If you’re going to barge in here asking for our help, I don’t want your half-assed explanation.”

“It’s none of your business-”

“It’s all of our business. Please elaborate.”

Sasuke scowled. He looked around at the group, whose eyes now bore into him with either mild interest, or suspicion. He considered the predicament he was in and decided it wasn’t exactly in his best interest to withhold any information. 

He would just gloss over some of the more… unpleasant details, “Orochimaru told me that there were some teenagers causing trouble in the facilities, and I was to try to infiltrate and report on their behaviours. When I tried to send my first letter back, the guard stopped me, so it became clear to me that Orochimaru hadn’t told anyone about my mission. Then, Kabuto told me that Orochimaru wanted to  _ run some tests _ to  _ settle his curiosity _ .”

Sasuke took a breath and looked around, making sure that everyone was listening so he wouldn't have to repeat himself, and continued, “I had my first extraction an hour ago.”

“Well that explains why an Uchiha would fall from a fucking tree then,” Shikamaru glanced at Kakashi, “It makes sense for them to bring him to a facility. The equipment is all here.”

Kakashi hummed, “What is it you want out of this, your highness?”

Sasuke looked at the grey-haired man, who eyed him with curiosity, “I presume you and I want the same thing.” he said, “Though, I think the honour of killing Orochimaru should be left to me.”

Kakashi smiled, “This changes my plan significantly, but I guess having an Uchiha on our side isn’t such a bad idea.” he said before reaching out a hand, “Welcome to the operation, Sasuke. We have a lot to catch you up on.”

“You’re just going to trust him!” Naruto protested, “What if he’s still working for Orochimaru?”

Sasuke glared at Naruto, “I don’t lie.”

Naruto scoffed, “And we are supposed to believe you? After everything you’ve done?”

“Naruto, enough.” said Kakashi sternly, “We will be trusting him, he’s an Uchiha.”

Naruto threw his hands up in exasperation, “That doesn’t mean anything anymore!”

There was a long silence before Kiba spoke up, “Naruto… he’s the crown prince, maybe reel it back a bit.”

Sasuke looked straight into Kakashi’s eyes, ignoring the blond completely, “You can trust me, I will tell you everything I know if it is necessary.”

The sun had almost completely set, and the group could hear the alarm sound faintly in the background.

“You should all get going,” said Kakashi, “Sasuke, use the passage with Naruto.”

Naruto sent him a glare, opening his mouth to protest when Kakashi held up a hand, “I don’t want to hear it.”

Turning towards the small wooden door, Sasuke made his way to the passage. He stopped when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Kakashi’s black eye boring into him, “I mean it when I say  _ welcome _ . But I am running this show, got that?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Also,” Kakashi let go of his shoulder, “Watch your eyes.” he said before following Shikamaru. 

… 

The toll loomed over the road, shading Itachi as the afternoon sun slowly descended upon the city ahead of him. He gently brushed Yata’s coat as she walked closer to Konohagakure. Itachi hadn’t been this close to his motherland in years, avoiding the place at all costs and instead immersing himself in finding the last of the Senju. But now, he was at the edge of the border, about to walk into the heart of the beast. 

Itachi put up his hood before he reached the guard who stood in a small box-shaped building on an elevated platform.

“Fee.” was all he said.

Itachi placed five coins up on the counter without looking at the man, staring straight ahead of him at the large expansive road. The man waved a hand and Itachi passed. Briefly, he glanced back. There were five toll booths that were spread across the wide road, but there was only one man stationed in one of them. There were multiple entry points to Konoha, the one Itachi had taken was the one in the north-west from the Empire of Grass. 

Now, as he kicked Yata into a canter, they pierced further into Konohagakure. When they came to the first crossroad, the left would lead them to the heart of the city and where Sasuke would likely be, and the right leading to a small village. Itachi guided Yata to the right.

As the road under him slowly turned to soil, Itachi slowed to a trot. Buildings started to appear around him, low thatched houses and bungalows. Children ran across the street, and at first, their nakedness shocked Itachi. He steeled his features as he remembered where he was. He had spent too long in wealthy kingdoms, where even the poor had shirts on their backs. 

He trotted along the main road where little makeshift stalls advertised different hot meals and fresh drinks, the vendors either busy cooking behind the plexiglass of their stalls or announcing the quality of their dishes to passing voyagers. Tonika was a town that attracted many travelers, it was situated right before the next toll which Orochimaru had set up at the entrance of the Capital. Itachi rode past the stalls and main building, finding himself at the edge of the small village. The houses were more sparse in this part of Tonika, each being surrounded by small gardens and tall trees. He guided Yata through the streets, stopping at the sight of a blue one-story bungalow. 

Itachi jumped off of Yata and quickly tied her reins onto the fence. After giving her a pat on the nose, he walked down the cobblestone and knocked on the solid wooden door. He heard faint rustling from inside, and then the door opened to reveal a tall, blue-skinned man. Itachi smiled at his old friend, “Kisame.”

Surprise flickered over his face, before settling on a wide sharp-toothed grin, “Itachi fucking Uchiha! Where have you been all my life!”

At first, Itachi stood there awkwardly as Kisame surrounded him in a bear hug, but he relented and gently patted his friend on the back. Kisame quickly ushered him into the house, the surroundings all too familiar to Itachi as he slumped onto the couch and relaxed for the first time in what felt like months. 

There were no fronts with Kisame, his facade came down, and around his old friend, he was just  _ Itachi _ . Not an Uchiha, not a Prince, not a runaway. Despite how different the two were, they were oddly equally matched. The friendship they had built was one of mutual respect, and after years spent working together, it had eventually molded into familiar companionship. So the sight of Itachi Uchiha laying across a peeling leather sofa in a tiny cabin on the outskirts of a country that was (technically) his, wasn’t out of the ordinary. Even after years, some things never changed.

“What brings you to the slums after all this time, Itachi?” asked Kisame, placing a cup of black coffee on the table.

Itachi lifted his arm away from his face and reached for the coffee, “Let’s say my search is currently on hold.”

“Ah,” Kisame took a sip out of his own cup, “figured you’d come galloping back once you had heard the news.”

Itachi sighed, “You don’t, by any chance, know where he is?”

“Nope, nice try though.”

“Was worth a shot, guess I’ll just have to do this the hard way.” he glanced over at Kisame, “What have you been up to?”

Kisame grinned at him, “I’ve got myself a new gig. Finally being paid for my worth  _ and _ I get to do what I love best. Actually, you’re quite lucky that you’ve caught me here, I just arrived this morning to pick up some supplies and I’ll be heading back out tomorrow.”

“And what is it that you love best?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, crown prince?”

Itachi chuckled lightly, “I could never get anything out of you.”

“Nope, you’ll just have to settle for my delightful company.”

Itachi smiled. They were quiet for a while, both of them content to enjoy the silence and drinking their coffees. Though he had been friends with Kisame for years, the man had never told him  _ exactly _ what he did. Which Itachi assumed was probably for the best, as knowing would lead to having to throw Kisame into some dungeon. Of course, Itachi didn’t have access to dungeons anymore, so he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he found out that Kisame was some drug dealer or ax murderer. Itachi would continue to bathe in his ignorance. 

“Itachi.” said Kisame gravely.

Itachi sat up from the sudden change in his friend’s tone. “Yes?”

Kisame sighed loudly and rubbed at his forehead, when he met Itachi’s eyes, they were filled with anger, “What are you doing? You haven’t been back for years, and now that you find out that Sasuke is in immediate danger, you’re planning to what? Save him? Take him back to the Earth Republic? Will you two become bounty hunter brothers and continue your wild hunt for the Last Senju?”

Itachi looked down into his coffee, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know.”

Itachi shook his head, “I thought I would have found her by now. I was going to come back and try to take back the throne-”

“Did you even think for a second, that the people wouldn’t want you back after you left them to rot under Orochimaru?”

“I didn’t leave because of Orochimaru.” he leveled Kisame with a flat stare, “You know that.”

“The people don’t know that Itachi, they don’t know what I know.”

“What am I supposed to say? That my father threw me out of the castle, and the next day Orochimaru  _ so happen _ to murder all of them?” Itachi rubbed his face, “He wanted me to abdicate, Kisame. The king was willing to disown his own son, what authority does that then give me? Will the people want a king who wasn’t even accepted by his own father.”

“Maybe a monarchy is not what we need, Itachi.”

Four years ago, Itachi would have argued with him. Layed out the benefits of having a leader who was built from the ground up knowing that they will take the throne, allowing them to build years of experience before it was their turn to lead. He would have argued that his father, despite some of his flaws, was a great leader who the people had loved. That his mother had inspired hope among the citizens, and because of her kindness, thousands of people were allowed to come to Konohagakure and set up home from when their own had been destroyed. 

But now, when Itachi looked down at his calloused hands, he didn’t have the energy to disagree. 

“Itachi?”

Itachi set down his coffee, “I am going to head out before dawn, but I need to know a few things first.”

Kisame opened his mouth to retaliate, but then closed it again in understanding. He nodded before saying, “What do you need to know?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next chapter! I promise there will be more sns :)))
> 
> (remember when I said this wasn't an enemies to lovers story - I changed my mind oopsie - they are gonna hate each other)


End file.
